US consumers are shopping again. But not for gold.

Petaquilla Minerals Ltd. (TSX:PTQ) has rejected as inadequate an unsolicited, a $112-million takeover bid for the company by Inmet Mining Corp. (TSX:IMN), which operates a gold mine adjacent to Petaquilla’s Molejon project in Panama.

Argonaut shares drop 6.87%

Mining executives see lots of more sunny days in 2013 with 55% of participants in a recent survey saying they believe their sector will perform better than it did in the first half of 2012.

Qatar's sovereign investment fund, the second largest shareholder in Xstrata PLC (LON:XTA) with 12% of equity, confirmed Monday it is looking positively at the company's planned merger with Glencore International (LON:GLEN).

The Highland Group, a leading global business consulting firm, today announced the formal establishment of its Americas Mining Practice.

Wednesday, November 7 @ 10:00 am EST in Becancour, (QC) Canada. Unprecedented offering of late model & new construction and mine equipment. Featuring: 2008 Terex HC230 crawler crane; (2) Cat 1450kw gensets (never used); 100-man mine camp; service trucks; tankers & trailers; wire & cable, bulk stores, etc. Online bidding at bidspotter.com. Sale conducted by TCL Asset Group Inc. & Maynards Industries.

Brazilian giant miner Vale (NYSE: VALE) is about to close a $500 million loan agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) for its Rio Colorado potash project in Mendoza, Argentina.

In addition to its importance for human civilization as an industrial metal, copper also plays a vital role in the human immune system as a killer of foreign microbes.